thiruvAimozhi nURRandhAdhi – 78 – kaNNiRaiya

SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImath varavaramunayE nama:

Introduction

In this pAsuram, mAmunigaL is following AzhwAr’s pAsurams of the greatness of the true nature of AthmA as seen by him after being shown by emperumAn and is mercifully explaining it.

How is that done? emperumAn thought “In thiruvAimozhi 8.7 “iruththum viyandhu“, while enjoying me with great joy, he meditated upon his own inferior nature as said in thiruvAimozhi 8.7.8 ‘siRiyEnudaich chindhaiyuL’ (stood in my heart, in me who is very lowly); he may leave me going through the same emotions as in thiruvAimozhi 1.5 ‘vaLavEzh ulagu’ (where he considered himself lowly and tried to move away from emperumAn)” To eliminate any such opportunity, emperumAn showed the greatness of the true nature of AthmA saying “Being identified by gyAnam and Anandham, being eternal, being like SrI mahAlakshmi’s bosoms, being like SrI kausthubam, this AthmA is eternally enjoyable for me”. AzhwAr meditated upon that and became joyful. mAmunigaL mercifully explains this principle explained in “kaNgaL sivandhu” starting with “kaNNiRaiya“.

pAsuram

kaNNiRaiya vandhu kalandha mAl ikkalavi
thiNNilaiyA vENum enach chindhiththuth thaNNidhenum
Aruyirin ERRam adhu kAtta AyndhuraiththAn
kArimARan than karuththu

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word-by-word meanings

kaN niRaiya vandhu kalandha mAl – emperumAn who united with AzhwAr, filling AzhwAr’s eyes
ikkalavi – this union
thiN nilaiyAvENum enach chindhiththu – thinking to make it remain firmly
thaNNidhu enum – known to be subtle
Ar uyirin – the dear AthmA’s
ERRam adhu kAtta – as he mercifully showed the greatness
kArimARan – AzhwAr
Ayndhu – analysed
than karuththu uraiththAn – mercifully spoke the thoughts in his divine heart.

Simple Translation

emperumAn who united with AzhwAr, filling AzhwAr’s eyes, thinking to make this union remain firmly, mercifully showed the greatness of the dear AthmA which is known to be subtle. AzhwAr analysed that and mercifully spoke the thoughts which were in his divine heart.

Highlights from vyAkyAnam

kaN niRaiya vandhu kalandha mAl – sarvESvaran who is greatly infatuated towards his devotees and who arrived and united with AzhwAr to fill AzhwAr’s eyes which had become dry as said in thiruvAimozhi 8.5.2 “kaNNum vAyum thuvarndhu” (my eyes and mouth dried up).
ikkalavi – This union in this “iruththum viyandhu” decad.
thiN nilaiyA veNum enach chindhiththu – Considering to make it remain firm.
thaNNidhu enum Aruyirin ERRam adhu kAtta – Mercifully showing the greatness of AthmA which was considered by AzhwAr as in thiruvAimozhi 8.7.8 ‘siRiyEnudaich chindhaiyuL’ (stood in my heart, in me who is very lowly).
Ayndhu uraiththAn – Analysed the greatness of the nature of AthmA and mercifully spoke about it. That is, as said in mahAbhAratham mOksha dharmam “dhAsasya” (servitor of servitors of bhagavAn) and SrI rAmAyaNam sundhara kANdam “dhAsOham …” (I am a servitor of SrI rAma), AzhwAr explained,
- AthmA being subservient to emperumAn as his SrI kausthuba jewel in two and half pAsurams
  - “kaNgaL sivandhu periyavAy vAyum sivandhu kanindhu uLLE veN pal ilagu sudar ilagu vilagu magara kuNdalaththan koNdal vaNNan sudar mudiyan nAngu thOLan kuni sArngan oN sangadhai vAL AzhiyAn oruvan adiyEn uLLAnE” (emperumAn is having expansive, divine eyes which are becoming reddish; his divine lips are becoming reddish and well ripened; his divine, whitish row of teeth, inside the mouth, is shining radiantly; he is having swaying ear rings; he is having a beautiful form with the complexion of a dark cloud; he is having a greatly radiant divine crown; he is having four divine shoulders; he is holding the bent SrI SArngam, attractive SrI pAnchajanyam, kaumOdhaki, nandhakam and the divine weapon, thiruvAzhi; such emperumAn with a distinguished form is radiantly residing in me, who is a servitor) [1st pAsuram]
  - “adiyEn uLLAn udal uLLAn aNdaththagaththAn puRaththuLLAn padiyE idhuvenRuraikkalAm padiyan allan param paran kadi sEr nARRaththuLLAlai inbaththunbak kazhi nErmai odiyA inbap perumaiyOn uNarvil umbar oruvanE” (emperumAn is the antharAthmA for all entities inside the oval shaped universe and the entities such as avyaktha (unmanifested matter), mahath (the great element), ahankAra (the ego) outside the universe; yet he cannot be said to be present in this form only [not limited to few qualities/definitions]; he is greater than all; he is having the greatness of subtle, eternal, unbounded joy, which is like the joy of being fully immersed and enjoyed the collection of great fragrances, after eliminating all the sorrow; his knowledge is greater than the superior ones’ (who have such joy as explained before); such great emperumAn is present in me, the servitor; he is also inside the heart in my body) [2nd pAsuram]
  - “uNarvil umbar oruvanai avanadharuLAl uRal poruttu en
    uNarvil uLLE iruththinEn” (To reach emperumAn, by his grace, I placed him, the distinguished one who is the controller of nithyasUris who are having abundant knowledge, in my knowledge which is in the form of desire) [3rd pAsuram]
- AthmA being different from prakruthi (matter), having knowledge, bliss, enjoyability etc in
  - “uNarvaip peRa Urndhu” (Conducted to realise the self) [3rd pAsuram]
  - “thEnum pAlum kannalum amudhumAgith thiththiththu en vAnil uyiril uNarvinil ninRa onRai uNarndhEnE” (being enjoyable as per his desire to relish, he remains exclusively in an inseparable manner in my body, prANa, gyAna with my AthmA; I understood him who is the meaning of the word “aham” (I)) [4th pAsuram]
  - “nanRAy gyAnam kadandhadhE” (having distinguished knowledge and bliss, the AthmA remains beyond the reach of knowledge) [5th pAsuram]
  - “theruLum maruLum mAyththOmE” (eliminated growth and decay of knowledge and fully became aware of AthmA) [10th pAsuram]
adhu kAtta Ayndhu uraiththAn kArimARan than karuththu – As emperumAn showed the greatness of the nature of AthmA, AzhwAr analysed it with his divine heart and mercifully explained it; alternatively – AzhwAr’s divine heart intended upon analysing the greatness of the nature of the AthmA and revealing the same; in this second interpretation, pAsuram should end as “Ayndhuraiththa kArimARan than karuththu“.

adiyen sarathy ramanuja dasan

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